Chapter 79
Veris examined the paving stone that had tripped Lortheran, lost in thought. To the naked eye, the paving stone showed no signs of unevenness. Could it be that Lortheran tripped over his own feet?
Lortheran cursed his bad luck under his breath, got up, dusted himself off, and said, "Let's go."
"Hmm." Veris responded. Today he was wearing a black and red uniform with a long cloak hanging down his back. The dark red fabric was faintly visible as he walked, which made people subconsciously feel serious and associate it with some bad things. No wonder the ministers were on high alert when they heard his name.
At the center of the diamond-shaped badge on his chest was a red gemstone, and as it flashed, the image of the church appeared.
It then disappeared again.
Lortheran said he looked more like someone who was there to provoke than someone who was there to help.
Veris smiled and said nonchalantly, "Even if I came in all white, they would still think I'm a wolf in sheep's clothing."
Hahahaha!
Lortheran couldn't help but laugh. They walked down the corridor, with palace guards patrolling not far away, and no servants following them—Lortheran never liked having servants to serve him, but after so many years, it seemed that his descendants in the royal family couldn't survive without servants.
Thinking of this, a hint of dissatisfaction flashed in his eyes, but he also knew that this was inevitable. He didn't like being served because of his birth, and the royals were used to being served because of their birth.
Veris continued, "There wasn't much to see at the Ruins of Aphrodite, but I have some things I need to verify. I can also visit my students' parents on my way north to Salem."
"Which student?" Lortheran was taken aback.
Veris: "Uther."
Lortheran was unaware of the archbishop's background. During his time wandering around the Papacy, he had observed that the man rarely spoke, instead silently studying magic, patrolling the Execution Chamber, handling its affairs, and rarely interacting with other archbishops.
The only thing that impressed me was that this person was the youngest of the five great magicians.
He couldn't help but ask curiously, "You're not the kind of person who cares about students' families, are you?"
Veris retorted, "Don't make me sound so heartless."
Then he answered Lortheran's question: "His background is a bit complicated. What do you think is the probability that a couple with the same mother but different fathers can have a healthy child?"
Lortheran's eyes widened: "What... Ah, ah, let me think, this used to be quite common. I remember when I was little, my neighbor's family did the same thing. They... well, they threw all their oddly shaped children into the river. When I went to the river to cut grass, I saw a weird thing floating by. It really scared me back then..."
He fell into deep thought.
Veris: "You actually remember things from so long ago?"
Lortheran was quite heartbroken: "I really want to forget it, but the scene was just too horrible, you know? I've killed hundreds of people a day since then, but none of them were as frightening as that scene."
He pointed to the sky outside: "Back then, it was still cloudy and about to rain. Lightning streaked across the sky, and a deformed baby floated down the river. But I hadn't finished cutting my grass yet, so I could only cut it while crying. Sigh, I'll never forget that scene in my life."
Bringing his thoughts back, he said, "According to you, the probability must be extremely small, but it's not impossible, is it?"
Veris hummed in agreement, then said, "What if a healthy child is born, and that child has the talent of a ninth-tier mage?"
Lortheran stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening again, this time not in shock, but in a heart full of jealousy: "How come I didn't get such a good thing! Look at these bastards, I really want to count which of their ancestors were my good sons. I should have strangled this bastard at birth, so that he wouldn't have given birth to so many bastards... bastards!"
It seems he's been quite angered by the royal family lately.
Seeing that he was still brooding over his offspring's lack of talent, Veris comforted him, saying, "There's still Garcia, isn't there? Garcia's abilities are still more than enough."
In his nearly fifty years of observation of the royal family, no one was more capable than Garcia, including the previous King Charles.
Lortheran sighed and waved his hand, "Go on."
Veris: "I'm done."
"Hmm? So why are you looking for the ruins of Cupid? What does this have to do with that bishop?"
Lortheran didn't understand.
Veris thought for a moment and said, "I suspect that the birth of Uther was influenced by the god of love, although I have never felt the slightest trace of the god of love in him... I can be sure of that, but Uther is indeed somewhat unusual."
His parents were loving and harmonious, but Uther himself was taciturn, with thick bangs covering his eyebrows and eyes, and scars on his face that Veris did not know when they were left.
Lortheran wholeheartedly agreed: "Indeed, if I got that haircut, I wouldn't even need to take two steps before I turned around and tripped."
Veris opened his mouth, wanting to say it wasn't a problem with the hairstyle, but then he remembered Uther's strange hairstyle and silently closed his mouth again. Lortheran had also been in the High Church for hundreds of years, and after a moment's recollection, he dredged up the few memories he had left.
“He prays very devoutly,” Lortheran said seriously, then touched the tip of his nose after meeting Veris’s disdainful gaze, but quickly relaxed his brows and eyes. “Why are you suddenly researching this?”
If it were of such importance, Veris would have investigated long ago; why wait until now?
"Just taking a look. When I get to the ruins of the God of Love, I'll confirm it again. If it's not the God of Love being revived, I'll make a side trip to the Demon King's Forest... It's been a few years since I've been back."
"Are you crazy?!" Lortheran exclaimed in shock. "What about Sylvain?"
After a moment of silence, Veris said, "He can come to me anytime he wants. I can't stay in the Papacy forever. I've been there for hundreds of years, I must be tired of it by now."
He was very optimistic: "I have serious business to attend to. The Papacy can function without me. By the way, now that the Golden Merchant Guild has collapsed, won't the royal family get a share of the profits?"
Lortheran's attention was immediately drawn: "Of course, I had Garcia handle it; he's more familiar with these things."
But he couldn't help but ask again, "What business takes so long?"
Veris pondered for a moment before saying, "Colluding with the demons?"
Lortheran: "?"
If Veris was going to act alone, why did he have to follow the army?
Loseran thought about it and asked the question.
His longtime friend rolled his eyes at him: "I'm not watching your army anymore. If something goes wrong, you'll be crying."
Lortheran was taken aback, then deeply moved.
"I'll bring the dragon with me this time, so you can rest assured," Veris smiled.
*
The news that the papal envoy would be accompanying the army first caused a great uproar among the officers in charge of leading the army. However, the army's attitude was polarized because of His Majesty the King's second decree.
Your Excellency the Deputy Envoy is only accompanying the army to observe its overall situation and will not participate in combat command.
They might not even stay in the military!
Those officers, counts, and viscounts who had opposed the decree actually felt a sense of gratitude upon hearing it.
They were also agitated by His Majesty the King's firm refusal to allow the Church to interfere in military affairs. They had long been dissatisfied with the royal family's obedience to the Pope. The fact that the Papal Deputy had so brazenly requested to accompany the army must have been due to His Majesty the King's mediation!
The leader of this expedition was Earl Reed, a middle-aged man in his late forties, who had a completely different idea from his subordinates and was filled with some worries.
Young people have simple ideas and are easily led astray by rumors. But for Earl Reed, who has lived through the reigns of Garcia, Charles, and now His Majesty the King, he understands better the role the Pope plays in the succession of kings and knows that no matter how dissatisfied the ministers are with the Church, the Pope's position is unshakeable.
When the papal deputy envoy stepped into the council hall, he breathed a slight sigh of relief. Looking at the young man with the mysterious mask on his face, he suddenly remembered that this was the person who opened the secret realm that day.
Count Reed was also present that day and saw from afar that this man was having a pleasant conversation with His Majesty the Holy Son.
He supported the royal family's closeness to the church.
Putting aside other things, the Church's influence is spread throughout the entire continent, while the royal family's influence is only useful within District 11. Outside of District 11, the royal family's status is not so useful.
It wasn't until the day of departure that Count Reed saw the young man again.
At this moment, Earl Reed was still listening to His Majesty the King's admonition when someone walked over. This was the end of the corridor, and beyond that was the open space where other officers were preparing to depart. No one announced anything, but His Majesty the King was not angry and stopped talking.
Veris glanced at Count De, said nothing, and then looked at Lortheran: "I'm leaving now."
Lortheran, completely disregarding Earl Reed, asked him, "Are you done talking to Sylvain?"
“…What do you want to say?” Veris asked, puzzled. “It’s not like I forbid him from coming to see me, and I’ll come back when I have time.”
Earl Reed, who had been pretending not to exist with his head down, was actually listening intently: "..."
This papal envoy seems to genuinely have no intention of getting involved in military affairs. What then is he going to do? Earl Reed wondered.
Lortheran glanced behind Veris again: "Just you?"
Earl Reed's eyes flickered: What? There are other people?
The young man replied, "Wait a minute."
Then a huge shadow fell to the ground. Count Reed was shocked and, forgetting his pretense of being invisible, hurriedly looked up. He saw a dark shadow that blotted out the sky and hovered above the capital, its wings flapping, but he couldn't tell what kind of monster it was.
But judging from its terrifying size, it is definitely not a low-level magical beast.
Count Reed was certain that this deputy papal envoy was probably a beast tamer who also practiced magic, and that his strength was unfathomable.
"Look, it's going to come out and show off."
Veris pointed to the sky, and the dragon raised its body again, flew around the capital happily, and then shrank its body to only two people's height, slowly landing beside Veris, its red vertical pupils reflecting the group of people.
Lortheran: "..."
He couldn't help but ask, "You just rode it away?"
Veris and the dragon nodded in unison.
Lortheran scoffed, "What about my army?"
“We’re still in District 11, what are you afraid of?” Veris waved his hand, flipped himself onto the dragon’s back, and said, “Let’s talk about it when we get to Salem. I’ll go see what the Duke of Salem is thinking first.”
Lortheran watched helplessly as the man and the dragon ascended into the sky and headed straight north.
He stared for a while, and Count Reed had to speak up to remind him, "Your Majesty..."
“Oh…oh! Where were we?” Lortheran woke up with a start and turned to look at Earl Reed.
“The climate of Phoenix County,” Earl Reed said cautiously.
The little incident earlier had indeed affected Lortheran; he spoke somewhat absentmindedly, but he was able to communicate with the intelligent Earl Reed. If it had been a fool, things would have really gone wrong.
The army outside the city, which was preparing to set off, and the residents inside the capital city also saw the black giant shadow that appeared in the sky above the capital city, but they did not know what kind of magical beast it was. Some of them had been to the secret realm and opened the capital city academy on the day it was opened, and they recognized it as the magical beast of the Great Church - probably a beast tamer of the Great Church.
With such a massive size, it must be at least an eighth-tier magical beast, right?
There are many beast tamers in the capital, and this was their first reaction upon seeing the giant beast.
There are indeed beast tamers within the Papacy, but compared to warriors and other professions, there are very few beast tamers. For example, none of the eleven archbishops within the Papacy are beast tamers.
They also saw the giant shadow, but it looked somewhat familiar.
For a moment I couldn’t figure out what it was, I just thought it was a monster I’d seen by chance.
The history that has been disturbed has evolved to the present and is not much different from the past. The dragon has been asleep for many years, and occasionally it has left the Dragon Clan Grand Canyon to go out to mine but returned empty-handed. There are also some rumors of villagers in the countryside witnessing the dragon, but they have always been treated as stories.
The dragon was deeply shocked when Veris told him that people could no longer recognize dragons. He felt he had to find an opportunity to show his true form to the people and tell these foolish humans that dragons were just sleeping, not dead.
“The last one like this was an elf.” Veris sat on the dragon’s back, looking down. The shadow of the town came into view under the thin clouds.
The dragon flicked its tail: "What?"
"The last people to fly over the capital were the elves. The dwarves are alright; they walk on the ground. But if they want, they can use puppet chariots. Humans have always treated other races well," Veris and the dragon explained.
The dragon wasn't interested in this, but it felt a little uneasy to hear that the elves were also flying over the capital like it was.
It simply stopped talking and instead asked Veris where he wanted to land.
Since waking up and joining Veris and the others, the dragon has not often stayed at the Grand Vatican. It prefers to roam freely across the continent of Icarus. Dragons are enormous, with a single flap of their wings covering tens of meters. They are also extremely fast, and it only takes them a day and a night to travel from the northernmost part of the continent to the southernmost part.
It doesn't feel tired at all; it has plenty of energy.
Veris thought for a moment and said, "Let's land once we're in Salem."
He had transformed into the appearance of the former poet Veris, even his white hair had turned back to its original black color, and he raised his heterochromatic eyes to look at the brilliant sunlight, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Okay," Long replied.
As a "landmark," Longtian roamed all over the continent, getting a pretty good feel for the terrain. Due to its bloodline, it knew the layout of the entire continent as soon as it opened its eyes.
They set off in the morning, and before the sun was even overhead, the dragon changed its form and began to descend into a mountain stream.
It was February or March, and the weather in Salem was still a bit chilly.
The mountain stream was strewn with boulders and overgrown with vegetation. Sunlight streamed down from above, and the dragon transformed back into human form, its long, gray-green braid hanging down its back. It touched its horn and asked, "Does this really have to be taken back?"
Veris slung his backpack over his shoulder again, glanced at the dragon, and said, "That's right, otherwise you're not allowed to go into town."
The dragon was greatly disappointed and had no choice but to take back the long black horn that symbolized the dragon race.
They walked along the stream, the path through the mountains appearing and disappearing, indicating that there must be houses nearby.
As the dragon walked, it said, "I remember that Lor'theran conquered this place before, so how come the humans under its rule are now someone else?"
Veris shrugged: "He granted the land to other people, and he even said he would give me a piece, but I didn't want it."
Over the centuries, the fiefdoms have been passed down through generations. Some of them were once reclaimed by the House of Lor'theran, but were quickly given to others—such as members of the royal family. The House of Lor'theran only directly rules District 11.
The dragon said "Oh," and muttered that it should have wanted a piece of land too, so it could mine freely... No, no, after mining all the gems in that area, wouldn't it be left with nothing but wasteland?
It's better to sneak around and mine on someone else's turf.
Veris walked ahead without turning his head: "Even if you wanted it, I wouldn't let Lortheran give it to you. You don't know how to govern humans, and I'm afraid you might breathe fire on the city one day if you're unhappy."
Dragon: "How could that be!"
It seriously corrected Veris: "How could there only be one bite?"
Veris: "..."
Dragons are known for their capricious tempers; when they're unhappy, they breathe fire directly. For example, back in the basement of the Golden Merchant Guild, Veris almost didn't react in time... He felt a sense of panic he hadn't experienced in a long time.
Speaking of this, Veris recalled the unfortunate second prince. After waking up and recuperating for a few days, he returned to the Fourth City. The merchant guild had undergone a major upheaval. Before returning to the Fourth City, he met with Lortheran and obtained considerable power. Filled with rage, he headed to the Fourth District where he used to work.
Lortheran secretly told him that this second prince seemed to have better potential than Ethan.
However, the second prince was clearly reluctant to return to the palace.
Veris shook his head, putting the matter aside; those were things Lortheran should worry about.
Once they emerged from the ravine, they found themselves in a flat, lush field. The dragon, clearly uninterested, looked around and then obediently followed behind Veris, scrutinizing the suitcase on Veris's back for a while.
"What's in here?" it asked.
Veris turned his head: "A lot of things, money, clothes, musical instruments, paper and pens, maps, staffs... anything is possible, I don't even remember how much stuff I stuffed in."
The dragon's eyes widened: "How could this possibly fit... Is it spatial magic?"
Veris nodded.
The man and the dragon moved quickly and soon reached the country road. At noon, there were villagers sitting in twos and threes by the fields, eating their dry food and watching the two figures from afar with curiosity in their eyes.
This is the border area of Salem, and you can tell the villagers are doing well.
Before leaving the ravine, Veris dressed the dragon in a priest's robe.
The dragon felt that the lack of jewel embellishments on the clothes was unbecoming of its noble dragon status. It tugged at the clothes and muttered to itself the whole way, but after being glanced at by Veris, it fell silent.
They soon saw the farm in sight, and more and more villagers appeared on the road.
The roadside grass was covered with tiny wildflowers, small purple and white blossoms dotting the landscape, and there were sheep hoof prints and cow hoof prints in the grass.
Someone noticed the priest's robes on the dragon's body and approached him, asking, "Are you two here to collect taxes?"
He spoke with a hint of nervousness in his eyes.
Verist paused for a moment, then laughed: "Not at all. We have come from afar from the kingdom and are on our way to the Cathedral of Salem. We are just passing through here."
The man breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "I see."
Veris asked again, "The church collects taxes quarterly now, and it's not even summer yet, so why do you think we're here to collect taxes?" His voice was gentle, and his handsome face easily put people at ease.
The man couldn't help but mention the recent rumors: "I heard that Phoenix has rebelled, and the Lortheran army is going to pass through Salem. In order to raise funds for the army, some people say that taxes should be increased."
Upon hearing this, the dragon couldn't help but stick its head out: "Lotheran isn't that poor, that it has to collect taxes from the public."
He was referring to Lortheran, but the villager thought he meant the Kingdom of Lortheran and said, "Hey! Actually, we don't believe it either. We usually go to District 11 to buy and sell some small things, but we heard that the lords of the great cities in the north are saying that the church is going to increase taxes and the Kingdom of Lortheran is going to increase taxes. It's not that we're unhappy about the tax increase, but we're afraid we won't be able to pay our savings!"
"That's war. I heard that the army of the Kingdom of Lortheran has hundreds of thousands of soldiers."
As he spoke, a group of people gathered around, chiming in with their own opinions, and eagerly questioned the two church pastors from District 11 about tax issues.
Veris answered patiently, while the dragon pursed its lips and remained silent. It didn't like being surrounded by humans like this, but if it lost its temper, Veris would be the first to beat it up and hang it next to the scarecrow.
Dragons are very honest.
When Veris denied all the issues of increased taxes and conscription, the villagers breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that it was indeed just a rumor that had frightened them.
At this moment, another voice rang out: "What this person says may not be credible. If you believe everything he says, what will you do when the taxes are really increased?"
The voice was sharp and piercing. Several villagers looked in the direction of the sound and stepped aside. When they saw who it was, someone in the crowd immediately retorted, "Hey, Hyde, didn't you say that first? You've been doing business in the city for so long, how come you're still poor and destitute? Even the pastor denied the news. Are you upset that you've been exposed?"
The words were harsh, causing the disheveled young man to blush and glare hatefully at Veris and the dragon. He immediately met a pair of dangerous, vertical red pupils, and jumped in fright, pointing at the dragon: "You, you..."
Veris swayed slightly, obscuring the dragon, and smiled slightly: "Sir, there are laws against maliciously slandering the Church. The Church can send people to arrest and deal with you."
These words were gentle, yet they were a blatant threat.
The young man's face instantly drained of color, turning ashen. He spat and slunk away.
-----------------------
Author's Note: My travel companion this time: Dragon
However, Long likes to run around, so he spends about 50/50 of his time with Xiao Wei.
See you tomorrow! [hugs]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com